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OP THE 

POTTO¥ATOMIE NATION OF INDIANS 

TO THE 

CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES. 



Many years ago it became evident to us that, while we had faith- 
fully performed the stipulations of every treaty we had made with the 
United States for half a century, the United States had not done so ; 
and that a large amount of money was due us. Several delegations 
of our people came on to Washington to have this matter examined, 
and to get the money which we were entitled to receive ; but they 
could get no examination made, and could get no money. 

Finally, in the year 1861, the Congress of the United States passed 
a law which required the Secretary of the Interior to examine our 
treaties and our accounts, and find out how much money was due to 
our people. This was the first step toward doing us justice. 

The Secretary of the Interior, because this law required him to do 
so, made the examination. He called upon the Commissioner of In- 
dian Affairs, and upon the Secretary of the Treasury, to investigate 
the whole matter. The investigation was made, and a full report of 
it was sent to the Secretary of the Interior. The Secretary examined 
it, and, finding. it: was correQt, sent it to C^gress, and recommended 
that the amount found due us should be paid. Then a Committee of 
the House of Representatives examined f it and, thinking there might 
be a mistake about the matter, the Committee went to the Indian 
Ofi&ce and looked over all the papers ; but they found there was no 
mistake. They then made a report to the House of Kepresentatives 
that it was all right, and asked the House to appropriate money to 
pay us. But some members of the House, who had not examined the 
matter, said it was not right; that it was too old a claim ; that it was 
too much money to pay ; and that, a long while ago, we were at war 



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with the United States : and, as only a few members of the House 
knew it was ri^^ht, the rest would not give us any money. 

We came again, and asked another Congress to give us the money ; 
but they were busy, and did not look at our case at all. 

We now come once more, and ask for the money. 

Wo cannot, ourselves, look at all our accounts, and see how much 
money we ought to have. The United States Government is our 
guardian, and we must trust to our guardian to do what is right for 
us. 

All the officers of the Government who know, or can know anything 
about our accounts, say there is due to us tlie sum of $160,540.48, 
beside 11,000 pounds of tobacco, 567 pounds of iron, 855 pounds of 
steel, and 672 barrels of salt. We think, if all our accounts and all 
our treaties could be examined, there would be more money than this 
found due us. But the Commissioner of Indian Affairs says, in his 
report to the Secretary of the Interior, that, although our receipts for 
moneys due us before 1819 cannot be found, we hcive prohahh/ received 
all we were entitled to up to that time, '' owing to the part we took 
in the war of 1812." 

We do not wish to say that the Commissioner was not right when 
he said this. We do not wish to go back of 1819, because some of 
our receipts may have been lost or burnt up. We admit that we have 
been paid up to 1819. But we wish to speak of the reason given by 
the Commissioner of Indian Affairs for not allowing;' us to 2:0 back of 
that time — which is tliat our people fought against the United States 
in the war of 1812. 

AYe admit that we did.- White men from Canada came and told 
us lies, and gave us presents. They made us believe tliat they were 
our friends, and that the United States were our enemies; and some, 
but not all, of our pe^S|p|''^^l-i#it ngair^^ni. 6^3. 6.^ 

But afterwards we made peace; and, for more than fifty years, no 
one of our people has lifted his hand against a white man. We have 
not only been at peace with the United States ever since, but, when 
wicked men tried to break up your Government, our young men went 
into 3^our army and fought for you. And before that time, our young 
men fought for you in tht^a^and Fox War. This was over a quar- 
ter of a century ago. AfflnT "^ ' ' ^YJliii. ' ^ ' ^^ ^^' ^ ^ ' -* f^^o^^^ i" ^^^^'^ ^^''^^' 
were long ago rewarde^^S^TO'- la1iC'^&*B(^^^ tlieir land — 

rich and beautiful as any in the world — all around our reservation. 
3 What has been our reward? Nothino^ ! J?) 



Besides, when we made peace with you, in 1815, it was agreed, in 
the first article of our treaty, that '* every injury or act of hostility 
by one or either of the contracting parties against the other, shall be 
mutLiall}' forgiven and forgot." You will not, then, tell us you *A^ill 
not pay us what is due under treaties made since, because of what we 
did before that treaty ? This would not be forijiviruj, much less 
forrjeUing. 

Therefore, while we claim nothing prior to the year 1819, we think 
it is unjust to bring up what we did before that time as a reason for 
not giving us what has become justly due us since. 

Look over the ti'caties under which we claim this amount, and you 
will find that we have by them given you millions of acres of the 
best lands in the country ; and that, again and again, we have been 
removed from our rich huntino- orrounds. our fertile fields, and our 
pleasant homes. Lands have been given to us, and taken away again. 
Under the treaty of 1846, we bought the lands where we now live, and 
they were guaranteed to us as ''a home forever." But even now you 
are asking us to go awaj^ and leave them — to go to a new and strange 
country, buy other lands, and begin a.gain. 

In the treaty of 1846, too, you gave us '' promise of all proper care 
and parental protection." Yet you have made our lands a highway. 
Multitudes of your people have been crossing our reservation ever 
since we went upon it. They have taken our horses and cattle ; they 
have destroyed our fences and crops, and cut down our timber ; and 
in no vvay has your "care and parental protection" been extended to 
us. We have borne it all patiently ; and, while bearing it, we have 
given you " assurances of our fidelity and friendship " by shedding 
our blood to save your country. 

As to our claim being an old one, and a large one, we have only to 
say, that this is not our fault. It is not a bounty, nor a charity, that 
we claim. We only ask what you have promised to give us. We 
have not, as we said, kept the run of our accounts. This we left en- 
tirely to the United States. AYe could not tell whether they were kept 
right or not. We thought they were not, and asked you to have them 
examined. You ordered tlrs to be done. All the officers who could 
know anything about our accounts examined them ; and they all re- 
ported that we had not got the money and goods which were promised 
us by our treaties. 

What more could we do ? What more can we do now ? AYe ap- 
peal to you simply [ov justice. It is in your power, and youis alone, 



to answer our appeal. If we fail before you, we must submit. We 
must then go back to our people and tell them that the Congress of 
the United States will not give us the money which is admitted to be 
due us ; that they will not fulfill the solemn promises of the Grovern 
ment ; that, although a few hours' revenue of this great country would 
keep its plighted faith to us, we cannot get it. 

JOSEPH BOURASSA, 
B. H. BERTRAND, 
ANTHONY NAVARRE, 
Delegatea of the Poitowatomie Nation. 






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